Moving and shaking

So, this is happening in our household and the little mover and shaker is becoming much more adept at crawling which means we can't look away for even a moment. He is everywhere.

Stapler mystery solved

If you would like the origins of the stapler that was discovered on the porch steps in my backyard last week to remain a mystery then do not read any further. For those inquiring minds that could not possibly enjoy their Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing without knowing where the stapler came from, have I got a gem of a tale for you!

In addition to the mystery stapler on the back steps, a mini pitch fork type tool was also left in the backyard. Since our neighbor kid had done some earlier work in the backyard (none of which required a stapler...or a pitch fork for that matter), I figured I'd start with him. I'd told him all week to come by and pick up his tools but he's 14 so, of course, he forgot. Whilst DJ Sammy was taking a break from mixing sweet tunes to nap, I journeyed across the street to the neighbor kid's house to find he and his twin brother on the roof trying to hang Christmas lights. The Christmas light hanging has been going on all week and every time I look out of the window I'm convinced I'm going to see one or both of them in a mangled heap in their front yard. On Sunday, Benny K went over to see if they were in compliance with OSHA regulations and found their "safety" practices left much to be desired.

Today, there was a single rope hanging across the roof with a metal swing dangling from the end of it. I commented that the situation did not look safe and one of the twins said that the rope could hold 600 pounds. Since the rope was in no way tethered to either boy, I asked how the rope did them any good? The shorter of the twins said it was perfectly safe because they were staying within an arm's length of the rope at all times so if they started to fall, they would just grab it. I said that sounded like it might work if they had ninja-like reflexes and they assured me that was the case. Oh, and the swing was attached to the end of the rope because they hadn't gotten around to cutting it off yet (I don't even know what that means or why the swing needed a 50 foot nylon rope attachment but the boys are 14 and I'm sure there is much I do not understand) and they assured me they were not using the swing as a harness to hang off of the roof. I'm not convinced.

I digress...

The stapler! After the conversation about the unsafe Christmas light hanging boondoggle, I asked the taller twin if the stapler belonged to him. This is how the conversation went (I will remind you, the twins are 14):

Me: Hey, I found this stapler in the back yard with some staples, does it belong to you?
Tall twin: Oh yeah, thanks, that is mine.
Me: What exactly were you stapling in our backyard?
Tall twin: Oh nothing. I found the stapler in my pocket while I was working and just set it down on the steps. I must have forgotten about it.
Me: You found the stapler in your pocket? Why did you have a stapler with extra staples in your pocket?
Tall twin: I don't know. I guess I was stapling something at some point.

Touche, tall twin, touche.

Tasty

Wanting my home to smell delicious and convince anyone walking through our front door of my domestic prowess, I made bread...from scratch. The smell is simply intoxicating and reminds me of home. And not only is the smell something you want to bottle up and spritz it all over your house on the evenings when cereal is all that is planned for dinner, fresh bread is just so tasty.

Last week, I experimented with wheat bread and last evening I tried a cinnamon swirl recipe that I highly recommend. It's from my Shenandoah Valley Mennonite cookbook so you know it's going to be some good eatin'. I've included the recipe below for your own enjoyment. The crust was nice and crusty and the inside was warm, gooey and 100 percent delicious!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water
2 packs dry yeast
1 cup milk, scalded
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
2/3 cup orange juice
7 to 7 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. melted butter

Directions:
1. Combine 1/2 cup warm water, 2 packs dry yeast and 1 tbsp. sugar (from the 1/2 cup you'll use later) and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
2. Combine milk, shortening, sugar (the 1/2 cup less 1 tbsp.) and salt and stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm and then add yeast mixture from step 1.
3. Add egg, orange juice (you may omit orange juice and use milk instead) and 2 cups flour. Mix until smooth. Let rest 10 minutes.
4. Add 5 to 5 1/2 cups more of flour and knead until smooth and elastic.
5. Grease top of dough and place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down. Divide dough into two balls. Let rest until 10 minutes. Roll each into a 7x15 rectangle 1/2 inch thick.
6. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon in small bowl.
7. Melt 2 tbsp. of butter and brush onto dough. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture onto dough.
8. Roll up rectangles jelly-roll fashion and place in 2 greased 9x5 loaf pans sealed side down. Grease tops with oil or melted butter. Let rise until doubled again. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and grease tops with butter while hot.
9. Remove from pans and let cool.
10. Slice and devour. You won't be able to help yourself!

A couple of things

1. Benny K surprised me with a babysitter and movie tickets and we went to see New Moon last night. SPOILER ALERT: Jacob is a werewolf. Don't say I didn't warn you. I admit it: I read the books. I wanted to see what all the hype was about and I must say I wasn't bowled over by the series but that doesn't mean I won't go see the movies. So, it's opening weekend and we go along with about 700 tweens wearing Rob Pattison shirts and way too much black eyeliner. There was a line to get into the theatre. I've never waited in line to get into a movie and I realized as we were standing there that we were the old ones. We were easily twice as old as at least 90 percent of the people in line and eavesdropping on the conversations made the wait so worthwhile. The girl behind us was there with her mom and brother who clearly wished he were anywhere but waiting in line to see New Moon with his mom and sister. The conversation went something like this:

12 year old sister: I can honestly say this is the best movie I've ever seen.
14 year old brother: You cannot. You haven't even seen it yet.
Sister: [eye roll and sigh] I can say it because I already know it will be the best movie I've ever seen. You don't even understand why. Mom knows why...I love him. [either Edward or Jacob--the male leads].
Brother mutters: This is so stupid. I can't believe I'm here.

Classic.

I'd also never before experienced the screams of elation when the male characters appeared on the screen or proceeded to take their shirts off (which happened a lot for a teeny bopper movie). The screams were followed by violent shushing and some "c'mons" from older people in crowd. The whole experience provided a glimpse into the world of teenagers and, quite frankly, it is a scary place.

Another highlight: there was a baby in the crowd. It wasn't our baby, but there was definitely a baby in the theatre. I shutter at the thought that it was potentionally the offspring of one of the high school girls in the audience. Sigh.

2. While driving about our fair city earlier this week I saw a decal on the back of a very large truck that read: Whack 'em and sack 'em. I don't even know what that means but it does not seem like something one should broadcast on the back of his vehicle. Again...sigh.

I believe you have my stapler

On a rainy and cold day this week, the infant and I were looking out one of the back windows identifying things in the backyard. We saw trees, a squirrel, leaves, our neighbors, stairs, and, low and behold, a stapler on those very stairs. I immediately took a picture of said stapler and sent it to Benny K asking if the stapler belonged to him and, if it did, why he was storing it on the deck stairs. He readily denied ownership of the stapler. Seriously, how did this stapler end up in our backyard on the stairs? Was someone doing some covert collating and stapling and forgot to cover his tracks? We did hire a neighbor kid to rake leaves and cut the grass last week but what exactly about raking and mowing requires a stapler? It remains a mystery.